@thunderdeacon wrote:

They just love to lie don't they. I guarantee you 100%, betting my life, betting my family's life, betting against nuclear war, that they will never, ever, ever, never in a million years, get 90% of the locations done without paying a bonus. She's lying and she knows it.

I can assure you, I am not lying. I am saying exactly what I was told. This project is MASSIVE. We are currently 68% assigned in just 2 weeks. I assume we will be close to 90% by the end of this weekend. I am hopeful I will get authorization for small bonuses next week. However, it is not MY call to make. I don't decide the bonus pools. I know that my client had to come down on the price billed to Sunoco quite a bit to land the account, so the budget is small.

Only about 5% of mystery shoppers are on this forum. We have more than 700,000 active shoppers in our database, and most shoppers take 20 to 30 additional locations after they do their first one, as they do get much easier as you find a "rhythm".

So, they ARE moving, it's just that we started with several thousand locations, so while it may appear that we are struggling, we are not. I don't know why you continue to attack me and my integrity, but I've been in this industry for 24 years now and that wouldn't happen if I wasn't good at what I do.

When I start getting the emails that have the first bonuses added, I will count how many shops are left. I will compare that to the total number of sunoco's in the United states, and I would be willing to bet my entire life savings that more than 10% of the locations will be remaining when the bonuses start rolling in. I'm not denying that you're good at what you do. I'm just saying that the statement that we will not add bonuses until we get to the last 10% is simply not true. It won't be true, and you know it won't be true. But you told that to a shopper because you were hoping they would believe you and go ahead and pick up the shops for less. That's probably one of the reasons why you're good at what you do. Some schedulers like to play mind games. They're not particularly concerned about being honest as long as it helps them get their shops filled. When the first bonuses start rolling in, I'm going to make a point of thoroughly looking over the number of locations that are left compared to the total number of sunocos. I will then post here that bonuses were given before 90% of the locations were done.

Lorri -

Thank you so much for responding. I have always valued your participation in this Forum.

I have always wondered how many unique shoppers there are. Presumably, someone has an estimate, but there are certainly issues about whom to count. I noticed and appreciated the fact that you used the term "active" I am sure that that number varies since shoppers may need a break, and those on break may return.

MarketForce claims to have 400,000 mystery shoppers. The Independent Mystery Shoppers' Coalition reports there are 1.5 million mystery shoppers in the United States alone. 5% of 1.5 million is 75,000 and I truly doubt that we have that many on this Forum. So, whenever people get upset that "we" don't hold out for more money, or that "we" should organize, I have to wonder how they expect to reach the remaining 95%. It might well be the remaining 98 or 99%.

@Lorri Kern KSS wrote:

@thunderdeacon wrote:

They just love to lie don't they. I guarantee you 100%, betting my life, betting my family's life, betting against nuclear war, that they will never, ever, ever, never in a million years, get 90% of the locations done without paying a bonus. She's lying and she knows it.

I can assure you, I am not lying. I am saying exactly what I was told. This project is MASSIVE. We are currently 68% assigned in just 2 weeks. I assume we will be close to 90% by the end of this weekend. I am hopeful I will get authorization for small bonuses next week. However, it is not MY call to make. I don't decide the bonus pools. I know that my client had to come down on the price billed to Sunoco quite a bit to land the account, so the budget is small.

Only about 5% of mystery shoppers are on this forum. We have more than 700,000 active shoppers in our database, and most shoppers take 20 to 30 additional locations after they do their first one, as they do get much easier as you find a "rhythm".

So, they ARE moving, it's just that we started with several thousand locations, so while it may appear that we are struggling, we are not. I don't know why you continue to attack me and my integrity, but I've been in this industry for 24 years now and that wouldn't happen if I wasn't good at what I do.

Hi @myst4au,

To date, we have had more than 2 million people register on our website, but many many are inactive (and have bad email addresses, or outdated phone numbers) since we started on the Sassie platform back in 2000 (My company was founded in 1998, but there was no Sassie back then). When I post my numbers, I only count shoppers with active profiles that are receiving emails on a regular basis.

That is definitely an important distinction to make. I honestly have no idea how many shoppers are on this forum. I just thought I should point out that while some people feel like if they haven't taken shops, no one else is either, that they are mistaken. My job is to get shops filled. I recruit EVERYWHERE.. you wouldn't even believe the lengths we've gone to in order to find new shoppers. And, it works .

I'd prefer to use experienced, reliable shoppers (as would everyone else in the industry), and always post to them first and foremost (little known fact, there is a way in Sassie to post to only shoppers with high ratings, or previous shoppers), but if that doesn't work, I resort to recruiting outside of standard current mystery shoppers. That is what I am paid to do.

I value my good and reliable shoppers more than I can say. There is a lot of hand holding that comes with recruiting a new person that has never shopped before. It is a lot of work on our side. But, in the end, I have to get the shops done for the amount of money the MSP gives me. It's not my money. I can't just pay whatever I want.

I have advocated very strongly with my clients that gas prices are up, that in a post covid world, people are valuing their time differently, and I've explained that $5 mystery shops are a thing of the past. I have been successful in getting MOST of them to increase shopper pay. I say things like "Would you leave your house for $5 and a $7 meal?". I am trying to make things better, but some of these contracts were negotiated pre COVID and the budgets are what the budgets are. I'd love to be paying $30 for these shops. My job would be MUCH easier.. but alas, it is what it is. And people ARE doing them (We've assigned more than 3K I think as of this afternoon). Some people want the free gas and $15 for 15 minutes of work.

I know it's not for everyone, ad I am ok with that. Only YOU can decide if it's worth it to you or not. No hard feelings from me!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/2022 09:49PM by Lorri Kern KSS.

@wrosie wrote:

Wrosie wrote on 8/1/22 12:35 AM:

Lorri,

Is there any possibility for a bonus if I can do this shop on Wednesday August 3rd?

RESPONSE:

"I am not authorized to add bonuses yet as we still have 3000 locations open. When we get to the last 10%, we will add bonuses."

This seems kind of counter intuitive to me. Wouldn't you want to give small bonuses to move the number lower and then up the bonuses for the really hard to fill locations?

Lorrie,

I in no way meant to disparage you or what you do. You have helped many people here whether it was your job to or not.

I was just trying to inform the people here about my experience. I was going to try one shop, but I couldn't justify it without a bonus. So I e-mailed you and asked for it. You responded.

I think many people here were wondering the same thing I asked.

The last paragraph was just my personal opinion based on what I have seen when I search the job boards. Again, I'm looking at a limited, 25 mile radius from me not the whole country. So my sample is smaller than yours. Obviously, I don't have the big picture.

Lorri, since you're here, when will the actual mystery shop begin for this client? This current project is obviously an information gathering session.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2022 02:51AM by KA047.

Lorri states--.......free gas and $15 for 15 minutes of work.

Bob comments--Free, in this usage, is a misnomer; a shopper works for the fuel. In addition, when one considers the prep, travel, visit and report, 15 minutes is not possible. Even if a shopper is completing several jobs, which would eliminate prep, driving by the station and completing the report on a phone, 15 minutes would be difficult.

@KA047 wrote:

Lorri, since you're here, when will the actual mystery shop begin for this client? This current project is obviously an information gathering session.

We are hoping for Q4! I'll keep you posted

@shopperbob wrote:

Lorri states--.......free gas and $15 for 15 minutes of work.

Bob comments--Free, in this usage, is a misnomer; a shopper works for the fuel. In addition, when one considers the prep, travel, visit and report, 15 minutes is not possible. Even if a shopper is completing several jobs, which would eliminate prep, driving by the station and completing the report on a phone, 15 minutes would be difficult.

I stand corrected. Of course you are right on that. I just have had dozens (if not hundreds) of shoppers tell me that after the first one, they can get through these pretty quickly. Luckily, you really only have to download and read the guidelines once, not on every single shop. So I think they get much faster after the first one. But you are right, it's not free. I'll be more careful of my verbiage next time.

I saw on the job board that the new fee is $18, which is a $3 bonus added to each shop. More than 10% of the locations remain. Significantly more than 10% of the locations remain.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2022 03:59AM by thunderdeacon.

@thunderdeacon wrote:

I saw on the job board that the new fee is $18, which is a $3 bonus added to each shop. More than 10% of the locations remain. Significantly more than 10% of the locations are remaining.

There is NO bonus added yet at all. Also, we are not just shopping the 5300 Sunoco locations, we are also shopping thousands of competitor locations. We are at 87% assigned at this moment and I went back to the client and said the payment needs to be $18 due to increased gas prices. I literally just changed it 15 minutes ago. I have still not been authorized to add bonuses to the locations.

Why are you being so antagonistic? I am feeling like I am being stalked, not gonna lie. I am on YOUR side. Why you are trolling me is baffling.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/2022 03:40AM by Lorri Kern KSS.

I guess I am a stickler for honesty and not playing games with shoppers. Going from $15 to $18 is a bonus of $3 over the original. Saying it is a pay increase instead of a bonus is like saying something is a surcharge and not a fee. It is the same thing, and we have devolved into arguing semantics.

Gas prices have decreased significantly since the beginning of the project. If $15 was deemed appropriate pay at much higher gas prices at the beginning of July, theoretically the fee should be decreasing instead of increasing if that is the reason for the bonus.

I am not trolling you. I saw an absurdly dishonest statement about about not adding bonuses until the last 10% of the locations remain. I was simply pointing that out to the shopper as to not be duped. The most straightforward reply might have been, "I am not authorized to add a bonus right now, but I appreciate the offer." I also know through private conversation with other shoppers that some small bonuses were approved last week. I also do not believe that 87% of the locations are complete. On that point we will just have to disagree. The number of shops on the most recent emails I have received might....might....be half the size as the ones at the beginning of the project. I doubt even that, to be honest. They are certainly not 87% smaller.

There is a dearth of honesty in mystery shop scheduling these days, and I have been on a crusade to try to inform and protect my fellow shoppers.